Lorraine holed up in Griffin’s study in the penthouse while Jeremy took the kids to the Museum of Natural History to give Lorraine the quiet time she needed to pour through those computer files she’d received from Ki at Phoenix Enterprises.

It was a virtual encyclopedia of lists, columns of numbers and lists of dates that would blind any accountant. Lorraine had years of library experience, lists of numbers and seemingly endless minutia were not unfamiliar to her. She realized it was a matter of parcelling the information down, and a lot of that had already been done by either Jeannie and Dennis or by Ki.

It boiled down to a matter of comparing the two files.

It didn’t surprise Lorraine that the company profile she’d been given by Jeannie and Dennis was woefully inadequate. She could see that after just a few hours of study that several of Griffin’s real estate shell corporations were not consistent, but there was at least one company of which Jeannie and Dennis showed no record at all.

Westmorland Holdings.

A dull thunk grabbed Lorraine’s attention, some kind of movement in the penthouse, despite the fact that she was alone.

Is Jeremy home early with the kids? They should be gone another few hours, at least. Lorraine stood up and crossed the study, slowly opening the door and peering out into the hall. All was still and quiet. The hairs on the back of Lorraine’s neck standing on end as some impulse pushed her down the hallway toward the expansive living room, kitchen and family room. Another thump from one of the outer rooms freezing Lorraine’s legs in place.

Lorraine looked around as she approached the end of the hallway. “Griffin? Jeremy? Ashe?” No answer came from the vacuous penthouse.

Could they be onto me, Jeannie and Dennis, Lorraine had to wonder, do they know that I’m onto them? No, that’s craziness, that’s Jeremy getting into my head! Nobody would send some assassin here to my home to kill me.

Would they?

“Griffin? Jeremy?” Still no answer came back, further seducing Lorraine’s skeptical self.

Albert warned you about this, Lorraine had to tell herself. He said the board would stop at nothing, he as much as promised it!

The living room was empty and quiet around Lorraine, who only realized then that her gun was in her purse and her purse was in the family room.

Should have practiced more, I’m still a terrible shot. Hope I can use it right, Lorraine silently muttered, if I have to use it at all! Please God don’t let that happen!

The silence around her gave Lorraine time to calm down and reconsider. Remember the gun safety classes, Lorraine urged herself, most gun deaths are accidental and happen in the home. I don’t wanna spin around and shoot Jeremy as he walks through the front door.

Lorraine spotted her purse on the coffee table across the room. Shouldn’t have left it lying around like that, Lorraine admonished herself. Kayla or Ashe could have found it, accidentally killed themselves or the other. Stupid!

She reached the purse and grabbed it, her heart beating faster.

It’s okay, nobody’s hurt, a lesson well-learned. Gotta take it easy, gotta stay in control.

But, another dull thump grabbed her attention and Lorraine reached in for the Colt .36. It was heavy in her hand, slick with her palm sweat as she set the purse down. With one hand on the gun and the other had supporting the first, Lorraine held it pointed harmlessly upward, easy to lower, point and shoot, but one step removed from a spontaneous and tragic misfire.

Thump.

The sound drew Lorraine toward the kitchen and then toward the utility room down a short, second hall.

Thump, thunk.

Lorraine’s fingers craned around the gun, finger twitching over the trigger.

Thump.

Lorraine stepped toward the laundry room. The sounds weren’t from either machine, they were to isolated and irregular. Something else was causing those sounds, something or someone. Lorraine pulled the door to the laundry room open, jumping back and aiming the gun. The little room was dark, but seemed empty.

It seemed empty.

Lorraine reached over and clicked on the light, expecting a hand to reach out at any second and grab her wrist, pull her into the room and slam the door behind them. She had no idea what she’d be facing or whether she’d have any chance to escape … or survive.

Click.

Lorraine jumped back again, peering at the newly lit laundry room. The machines were still and silent, the cabinet doors closed, everything in place.

Thump. Thunk, thump.

There was only one other source of that sound, and it was the little closet on the side of the washing machine, where the hot water heater was housed. It was a small closet, but big enough for a man to hide in, to lure a small woman in and then ambush her.

Lorraine renewed her grip around the gun as she reached for the little door to the water heater cabinet. She reached slowly, another thunk pulsing from within that little closet. Her hand reached closer to the knob, closer, fingers finally wrapping around it.

She pulled the door open and jumped back to aim the gun from some safe distance. But, the closet held only the water heater, another thump coming louder, unmuffled by the opened closet door.

Lorraine spat out a relieved sigh, smile breaking, a chuckle bubbling in her throat as the tension poured out of her, muscles easing, gun lowering to point at the floor.

She turned, but came face to face with a man’s grim expression, a fearful cry leaping out of her mouth, body shaking with instant terror. He grabbed her wrist and yanked the gun out of her hand and she stood helpless before him, rigid with fear.

“Lorraine, take it easy!” Lorraine refocused to see Griffin standing in front of her, holding her gun, his face calm but curious. “Lorraine, what’s wrong, what is it?”

Lorraine quickly unwound again, stammering even if she could clearly see the folly of her own anxiety. “I … I heard something … ”

“So you decided to assassinate the hot water heater?”

“No, I … I thought somebody might have broken in.”

Griffin looked at her again, shifting his head to get a better look at his wife, his beloved, as if there were some new aspect to her that he’d never considered.

My God, Lorraine realized, he thinks I’m crazy!

Maybe he’s right.

Griffin led Lorraine out of the utility closet and into the kitchen. “I … I guess I just got a little carried away, that’s all. Those thunks and thumps, but it was nothing.”

“All right,” Griffin said, low and soothing.

“There is something I think you should take a look at, Griffin. It’s about the company.”

Griffin’s eyes sank to shrewd slits. “What about it?”

“Have you ever heard of a subdivision called Westmorland Holdings?”

* * *

“Westmorland Holdings,” Griffin said, carefully eyeing both Jeannie Gallagher and Dennis Douglass. “Where is it?”

Dennis shook his head a bit, as if confused. “Liquidated, years since. We used it for that deal on the waterfront, but we shut it down afterward, the way we usually do. What’s this all about?”

Lorraine said, “I’ve got a full company portfolio, it has several holding companies like Westmorland, all real estate holding companies, and none of them are in the file you gave me.”

“Because there all liquidated,” Dennis said. “I thought you were looking for available land holdings in the company. What would have been the point of giving you a lot of outdated information?”

“I said I wanted to see everything from the past ten years,” Lorraine said, impatience inspiring her newfound sense of authority.

“My concern isn’t just this particular project, or even this particular holding company. But, if I discover there’s an overall pattern here, or that money is somehow being extorted from Phoenix Enterprises, I’m going to bring down the full brunt of the law on every head.”

Dennis and Jeannie shared a glance, then looked back at Griffin and Lorraine. Jeannie nodded, eyes wide. “Of course, Mr. Phoenix, absolutely. We didn’t realize there might be anything wrong — ”

“I’ve been in charge of the accounting for years, Mr. Phoenix, there’s no discrepancy that I know of. And I have to say, I feel like I know this place like … ” Dennis paused for some private reflection, drawing Lorraine and Griffin’s attention. “Where did you say you got that previous profile from?”

Lorraine paused, uncertain how much information she should share. But, she also knew there were only so many sources and time to answer was running out. “Ki Fong, as a matter of fact, from your own Board of Directors.”

Jeannie shook her head. “Ki, that figures.”

Griffin asked, “Why’s that?”

“He’s got a terrible grudge against me, thinks I hate him because he’s Chinese. But Griffin, you know that’s not true.”

“I should hope not.”

“The reason I’ve been hard on him is that, well, that’s my job. I can’t let every hair-brained idea get to the top, I’m supposed to filter those out.”

“I know that,” Griffin said calmly, “I don’t fault you for doing your job.”

“The way he glares at me from across the conference table,” Jeannie shook her head, eyes dipping low, lips pouting just a bit, “sometimes I was afraid he might do something … violent, in the dark of night. I mean, he’d have records of where I live and everything.”

Griffin asked, “Has he ever … touched you?”

“No, not … not like that. I was just never sure what he was capable of. And the more I had to say no to him, I don't know, the less confident I became in what he might or might not do next.”

Lorraine said, “You really think he’s capable of that?”

“I don’t know. I’d keep an eye out in the back of my head if I’d done any clandestine dealings with him.”

Lorraine wasn’t sure how take that, as a warning or a ruse. Griffin didn’t seem interested in airy threats, vague insinuations, or idle theories. He said to Dennis, “I want a copy of everything, Dennis, collected and emailed to my offices, right now.”

“Of course, Mr. Phoenix, not a problem.”

Dennis turned and clicked a few keys on his keyboard, but he paused and gazed at the screen, drawing Lorraine, Griffin, and Jeannie toward it. The screen started flashing gray and blue, not responding at all to Dennis’ clicks and taps on the keyboard.

Griffin asked, “What is it? What’s going on?”

Dennis reached over and pushed the power button on his computer tower, the screen going dark. Fifteen long seconds later, he pushed the button again and leaned back.

Lorraine asked, “What did you do?”

Dennis shrugged. “I didn’t do a thing, Mrs. Phoenix. But that’s not to say that somebody else didn’t plant a bug in our system.”

Griffin repeated, “A bug?”

“Computer virus,” Dennis clarified.

Jeannie rolled her eyes, shoulders slumping. “Oh no, Ki Fong … ”

Griffin asked, “What about him?”

“Minor in computer tech,” Jeannie said.

“Where is Mr. Fong now?” Dennis asked.

Lorraine, Griffin, and Jeannie glanced at one another, shaking their heads. Griffin said to Jeannie, “He works under you, Jeannie.”

“Well, um, yes that’s right, but … I didn’t know anything about this, I swear.”

Griffin sighed, exasperated. “I just mean you’re the person to track him down, Jeannie.”

After an awkward moment, Jeannie said, “Oh, right, I’ll go see if I can find him. I’ll bring him to your office, Mr. Phoenix.”

“Do that.” Griffin turned to Dennis as Jeannie scurried out of the office. “You’ve got backups of everything, of course.”

“We were just transferring everything over to the Cloud. As soon as we’re back online, I’ll retrieve what we’ve got.”

Griffin and Lorraine shared a silent glance before Griffin nodded and led her out of the office, saying to Dennis, “Keep me posted.”

“Yes, sir,” Dennis offered before Griffin and Lorraine left, slamming the door behind them.